Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: The passage of the Lokpal Bill has been delayed by at least another four months with the government on Friday extending the term of the Parliamentary committee examining the legislation till the end of the Winter session of Parliament.
The Rajya Sabha Select Committee on Lokpal/Lokayukta Bill, which met on Thursday, had decided to seek an extension of its term to complete the examination of the measure.
The term of the panel was set to end on September 3.
The Lokpal Bill, which was been passed in the Lok Sabha, was referred to the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha in May this year as consensus eluded on its various provisions.
Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy, who had tabled the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, had earlier expressed the hope that the panel would finalise its recommendations by the last week of the Monsoon Session.
After its constitution, the committee has heard depositions from the Ministry of Personnel, the Law Ministry, the Attorney General and several NGOs and individuals.
The Bill has failed to become a law since it was first introduced in 1968.
(With PTI inputs)
First Published: Friday, August 31, 2012, 12:14